


You have been caught!

by Moonstation127



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Awkwardness, College Students NCT, Fluff, M/M, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-13
Updated: 2020-03-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:08:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22930003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonstation127/pseuds/Moonstation127
Summary: “Do you know Wong Yukhei?”Hendery tilts his head and tries to put a face to that name but nothing comes to his mind, so he shakes his head.“He’s that guy over there,” Jungwoo says, “don’t look.” His hand stops Hendery from turning around and moves a lock of short, black hair out of the boy's face. “He hasn’t stopped looking at you. I think you have a fan.”
Relationships: Wong Kun Hang | Hendery/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas
Comments: 16
Kudos: 195
Collections: 99' ft 00' fic fest





	You have been caught!

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt #FT127  
> Thanks so much to the prompter, I hope you enjoy this fic!!

Being a college student is not easy, less if you have a part-time job. So, imagine working the night shift on a Saturday in a coffee shop; a peaceful and long Saturday night that Hendery could’ve used to finish his essay about the art of the absurd or to study for his upcoming Linguistics test. Leaving his bike in the back of the shop, Hendery’s ready to work.

The first hour goes by almost in a sigh. At least fifteen customers bring the place to life and the house’s special, the famous turkey avocado sandwich, is the star. That’s what Kun, the chef, says. “Every Saturday is like this, the regulars come for the special and sometimes we get new customers. That’s why we give a discount these nights.”

Hendery hums in reply, smiling. He would’ve stayed to keep chatting, but someone called for him near the window. The waiter walks to the rhythm of the music. He can hear Chenle singing at the cash register, probably searching for more old songs on YouTube to add to his playlist.

An hour later, at 11 pm, the boy calls for him. Hendery checks his phone as he hurries to replace him at the bar. “Good luck, buddy,” Chenle says, running his fingers through his orange hair.

Hendery thanks him and they bump fists. The younger talks with Kun, exchanging goodbyes, while Hendery attends a new customer. The bell rings as Chenle leaves to disappear inside of a black car.

Focusing on the newcomer, Hendery offers his best smile. Maybe it can’t compete with Jaemin’s, the boy has been the employee of the month several times for this reason (and for his customer service in general). But the newcomer mirrors it, boosting the barista’s confidence.

“Welcome to Dream Launch, how can I serve you, sir?” He says, looking up to have a better view of the customer.

“Hello! I want a sandwich, whichever kind, everything is good, and an orange juice.” His simplicity makes Hendery smile wider.

“I’ll give you the house’s special, sir, we have a discount for it every Saturday night.”

“Oh, cool! What’s the special?”

“It’s a surprise, you’ll find out in a moment.”

An amused Hendery wonders how did the boy miss the black poster beside them with “Turkey Avocado Sandwich shines tonight!” written in white, capitalized letters.

“Can you just call me by my name? I’m Lucas.”

“Will do, Lucas.”

“Thanks, and what’s yours?”

“Hendery,” he says, pointing to the little tag on his shirt.

“Oh, right… I’ll go sit.” Lucas laughs, walking backward.

“Okay.” Hendery nods. “Wait! Are you allergic to something?”

“No, no. I’m good with everything!”

“Great.”

Lucas turns around to find a seat, revealing a backpack from where he takes out a tablet and books after settling in a table near the entrance. He makes a small wall around his tablet with the books, giving Hendery a sight of their spine. _Some of them are about art… he must be an art student._ _Or he just likes art. I don’t know…_

When his eyes find Lucas’, Hendery realizes he had been staring. And that he didn’t give Kun his order. So, pretending that everything is fine, ignoring the heat that crawls up his neck, he goes next to Kun.

“What is it?” Kun asks, after receiving the order. “You look nervous, come one, what is it?” he adds, not buying Hendery’s innocent look.

“Nothing.” He shrugs and fixes his gaze in the small hole in Kun’s apron. “First night shift, I guess.” It would be childish to talk about how a boy he just met made him blush, he thinks. As it is just the third time he works along with Kun, the perfect example of maturity, Hendery prefers to keep the teenager drama to himself. He searches for the fruit’s crate, an orange and starts preparing the juice.

Kun hums; if he didn’t believe Hendery, he didn’t say it. Instead, he pats Hendery’s shoulder, a spatula in his hand. “You’ll do great, don’t worry. Just hang on until five, then you’re free.”

Hendery smiles, his hands claiming for hugging Kun but having to be content with a light strike in the other’s back. “Thanks, man, what would I do without you?”

“Well, you’ll have to figure it out and do it quickly because I’ll leave in less than an hour.” Kun laughs at Hendery’s static smile and turns to keep cooking. “Did you sleep well before coming?”

“Yeah, I took the best nap ever. I slept for ten hours.” It's evident his pride, like a champion announcing the world record he just broke.

As the chef whistles, Hendery giggles and prepares the tray for Lucas. “Good luck with cute guy,” Kun murmurs and the tray almost slips out of Hendery’s hand.

After mumbling a “shut up,” the waiter makes his way to Lucas’ table, where he finds the boy drawing with a digital pencil on the tablet, which is facing him and is surrounded by a wall of books, so Hendery can’t see the screen; something tells him that Lucas prefers it that way.

“Here is the oran—.” His mouth shuts when Lucas startles. “Oh, sorry, didn’t want to scare you.”

“Hey, no problem. I was too focused.” His laugh relaxes Hendery, who nods and continues his work.

“The sandwich will be ready in a moment, sir— Lucas.”

“Great!”

A whistle indicates Hendery that the food is done, so he rushes to get it. Kun handles him the plate, not without wiggling his eyebrows, and Hendery has to use all his will power not to kick his ass. Failing to hide his smile, the waiter walks away from the chef, who had started to hum a romantic melody.

“You’re annoying,” Hendery says. The thought of Kun being the mature one between them crosses through his mind and he had to laugh.

In his path to Lucas’ table, a woman calls him. Hendery nods at her and continues to carry the food to the customer. He wishes he had more time to talk to Lucas but the lady is waiting, so he leaves the sandwich and says “I hope you enjoy it,” before walking away.

When Kun turns off the cooker hood, Hendery knows he's about to be left alone in the job. As it is the first time he has to take care of such responsibility, his mind fills with questions. _What if someone faints? What if someone tries to steal us? How far is the Hospital?_ He bites his nails to keep his mouth busy, the last thing he wants is for Kun to notice how nervous he is and think he’s not capable of the task.

Or maybe he wants that, maybe he hopes that Kun notices it so he would send Hendery home, leaving the boy free of responsibilities, with a lot of time to study. But what about his apartment? If he doesn’t get enough money, Hendery won’t be able to pay the rent, buy food and textbooks, let alone go out with friends at clubs or eat outside. And his parents, they would be so disappointed; Hendery already told them he would be in charge of the café for the night. His mom had smiled and cheered him, and his dad had ruffled his hair, wishing him good luck. How could Hendery tell them he chickened out?

“Hey, Hen, you okay?” Kun asks, approaching him. His frown, his worried eyes, everything is exactly as Hendery imagined it would be; the question he awaited, the perfect occasion to escape, it’s in front of him.

“Yeah,” he lies and adds a grin to make it more believable. It’s the harder path, but he hopes it’s the correct decision. “Just a bit nervous.”

Kun’s eyes soften and his hands find their way to Hendery’s shoulders. “Hey, you got this. Five hours and you’re free. There won’t be many customers and you can study or clean or whatever. Just don’t start a fire.”

Hendery laughs and he knows things will be fine. This time he doesn’t stop himself from hugging Kun, who lets out a small giggle and hugs him back, tighter.

“Thanks, man, you’re the best.”

“I know.”

They separate and Kun leaves. It’s midnight, Hendery is in charge and is sure he made the right decision.

The café fills with the songs that Chenle, a self-declared playlist lover, prepared for him; the Chinese music making Hendery feel like home, bringing memories he had long forgotten about since the student routine kept him busy.

A smile curves his lips as the barista looks around, eyes stopping on every customer. Nodding, he’s about to turn around to keep working when a hand raises, catching his attention. It’s Lucas, whose energy resembles a child’s and amuses Hendery. The waiter approaches Lucas, his stomach contracting as he walks, fingers trembling a little when he plays with the pen in his apron’s pocket.

“How was the sandwich?” He asks, mirroring the boy’s smile.

“Amazing, really god. My compliments to the chef!”

Hendery laughs, repressing the urge to pinch Lucas’ cheek. “You could give your compliments to Kun in person, he would really appreciate it.”

“Ah, Hendery, you’re really good at your job,” he says, resting his back on the chair and pointing at him with a finger, “convincing me to come back so smoothly. What am I supposed to do? Say no?”

Hendery laughs and shakes his hands, trying to assure Lucas he didn’t do it on purpose, but the boy is too busy giggling at the waiter’s embarrassment. With a shy smile, Hendery takes the dishes to wash them, and bows when Lucas keeps complimenting the food.

Before Hendery finishes the task, a customer calls him. The boy nods and hurries to clean the remaining dishes, but he’s called again; the impatient tone almost making him drop a plate. Composing himself, Hendery attends the man, giving him the bill, never letting his smile disappear. A sigh leaves his lips when the door closes behind the customer, who ran the last steps to his car.

“What an ass,” Lucas says, staring at the place where the car was parked.

Hendery nods, “there is always one like him.”

Lucas huffs angrily and it is so adorable that the waiter has to use all his willpower not to smile like a complete fool.

They stay silent a little too long, glancing at the other, what doesn’t last long because they rush to continue doing what they were supposed to do: Hendery cleans some tables and Lucas goes back to draw or paint on his tablet.

The doorbell announces new customers, or that’s what Hendery thinks when he turns to see a girl that looks around and walks to Lucas. Her ponytail bounces as she moves, her long legs stopping in front of the boy. Hendery had to repress a gasp when he saw her, the resemblance between her and Lucas revealing what could only be family ties.

“Hey,” she greets.

“What are you doing here, Yujin? It’s too late for you.” His eyebrows furrows, but he points at the chair in front of him. However, Yujin shakes her head and crosses his legs as teenagers do.

“I could ask the same, why are you here? Mom is worried, she said that you two fought but that it wasn’t too serious for you to leave…” That’s when Hendery reacts and stops listening, those were none of his business, but when he reaches for his backpack to get his notebook, the girl’s high-pitched voice startles him.

“Wow, that’s so good!” Yujin exclaims watching the tablet.

Lucas shushes her and gives the worker an apologetic look, which Hendery would answer with a smile if Yujin hadn’t caught his attention by covering his mouth with her hands to hide her laugh while looking at him. It makes Hendery uncomfortable but he doesn’t show it. Instead, he searches for his literature notes in his backpack.

“Yujin, stop! How old are you? Five?” Lucas hisses.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. But you really—”

“Shut up! And sit down, Sicheng is coming for you.”

“What? I don’t need a babysitter, I can walk home on my own.”

“You’re too young, I won’t let you walk alone this late.”

“Then let’s go together, mom is worried.”

“If you come with me, you’ll have to wait for hours, I have a project to finish.”

“So now they call it ‘finishing a project’, huh?”

“Yujin…”

Although he’s doing his best effort, Hendery can’t focus on his studying and finds himself reading the same sentence over and over again, not understanding a single word. It’s like his eyes are not working, but his ears, oh, his ears are the only thing functioning in his body. The earphones in his backpack are a strong temptation but he resists it; what if something happens or someone calls for him and he can’t hear it? No, Hendery has to be alert, ready to act if needed.

For now, he would have to suck it up and listen to the (probably) siblings talking, since they’re the only people there besides an old man who has been drinking the same cup of coffee for almost an hour. Kun had told him the man used to come once in a while until Chenle got hired and self-proclaimed himself as the Official DJ. Hendery had to admit the boy had good taste.

As the waiter gives up on studying, he tries to figure out what could have that tablet for the girl to react the way she did. Lucas said it was for a project, but she didn’t believe him. And she had looked straight at Hendery after seeing the screen.

Not coming up with any good reason makes the boy anxious, but his worries fade when another boy walks into the café. Hendery freezes at the sight of the neatly cut hair, the fashionable style and the perfect skin that the newcomer displays; attending celebrities is not in the contract. Okay, Hendery doesn’t _know_ if the stranger is a celebrity, but how could he _not_ be a model or a singer looking like _that_?

“Hey, Sicheng,” Lucas calls, to what the boy approaches them.

“Hi, what are you doing?”

“A project.”

“He’s flir—” tries to say Yujin.

“Okay!” Interrupts Lucas standing up and clapping. “Enough conversation, please take her home.”

Sicheng raises a brow and smiles, mockery shining in his eyes. “What are you hiding?” He says and looks at the tablet before his friend could stop him.

“Ah, you don’t have to be this annoying, just take Yujin home.”

“Who’s the lucky one?” Sicheng asks.

The girl nods at Hendery before he could pretend he wasn’t paying attention. She widens her eyes when their gazes lock and Hendery, not knowing what to do, lowers his head, focusing on the notes for the upcoming test.

Yujin clears his throat and remains quiet until Sicheng says goodbye, following him to his motorbike. When they leave, Hendery is still glued to the notes even though his head is empty. Only the voice of the old man calling for him makes it to his brain, reactivating his body to function properly.

“Here’s the bill, sir. Thanks for coming and I hope to see you again.” He says, his smile is a little too stiff.

It’s 1:21 a.m., there is just one client and Hendery needs answers.

“Hendery,” Lucas calls, “can you bring me an iced americano, please?”

“Sure!”

After giving the customer his coffee, the waiter sweeps the floor near the entrance, he’s that bored. Through the glass door, the empty street, a red motorbike, maybe Lucas’.

“I can’t do anything right.”

Hendery turns to see the boy with tanned skin and big smile now frowning at his tablet’s screen. The dim light illuminates his features. He’s absorbed.

“Don’t be that hard with yourself,” Hendery says, resting his chin on his hand, on top of the broom. “I’m sure you can fix whatever you did wrong.” He’s not sure where did the confidence come from, but maybe it is an attempt to start a conversation, the first step to finding out what is in the tablet.

“Oh,” Lucas says, “thank you…” He puts his elbows on the table and laughs, tense. “It’s just that this… this assignment is kind of hard.”

“Are you an art student?”

“Yes, I got to Belle Arti College. It’s near.”

“Sounds fancy.”

“Nah,” he says, relaxing his body. “We’re just a bunch of chaotic guys with too much passion for colors and forms. Except for Jaemin. He hates forms. Like, geometrical forms, I mean.”

“Jaemin? Na Jaemin?”

“Yeah. He works here. I came because he recommended this place some weeks ago.”

“I didn’t know he studied art. Well, I’m still new here, so it’s normal, I guess...” he says, straightening; he can only see the back of the tablet. He glances at Lucas, who picks up his cup. “So, did you come before?”

Lucas seems to have trouble swallowing his coffee, Hendery can hear his throat doing the task. _Why is he so tense? Am I bothering him?_

“Oh, wait. I have to check… check if there is toilet paper in the bathroom.” That’s his excuse to leave.

In the men’s bathroom, Hendery looks at his reflection which shoots him a disappointed glance. _Why do you keep annoying him? Just let him finish his assignment in peace_. After a sigh, Hendery checks if every cubicle has its toilet paper and then returns to the bar only to find Lucas’ seat empty. His books are still there, forming the small barrier, and his tablet occupies its place, but the boy is nowhere to be found.

Outside, a fading cloud of smoke comes from the cigarette of a tall figure’s hand. Lucas rests against the glass; the lumination above him creating shadows in his features that give him a mysterious aura. A slow shift of his wrist and the cigarette brushes his lips, but he doesn’t put it in his mouth, not yet. First, he sighs and tilts his head, he might be lost in his thoughts, and then he smokes.

Hendery detest cigarettes and can’t understand why people smoke, why do they harm their body on purpose, but he has to admit that the scene before him is intriguing; the boy that resembles a little kid can also appear as the main character of a thriller film. Shaking his head, Hendery decides that it’s time to study.

“I’ve come here before,” Lucas comments, the door closing behind him.

Hendery looks up and listens in silence.

“Twice, maybe.” Lucas moves to his side, the smell of ash following him. “I wanted to surprise Jaemin but it seems like I always come when he’s not working.”

“You’re not lucky,” Hendery says, looking back at his notes.

“I’m not sure about that.” Lucas leaves to sit at his table and keep painting.

Before the waiter could say anything else, the door opens and a group of two boys and two girls comes in. By the way, they laugh and speak, dragging their words, Hendery guesses they’re a bit tipsy. He would have panicked to have to take care of a situation involving drunk people, but he recognizes Jungwoo, who studies the same career as him, but is in an upper class. The waiter stands up to greet them.

“Hi, Hen. We came to celebrate that we approve some important exams, I hope it doesn’t bother you.” Jungwoo’s voice is steady, he looks the soberest of the four. On the contrary, the boy beside him has a strong blush crossing his cheeks and his eyes are glassy.

“Hey, Woo. It’s okay as long as nobody breaks anything or throws up.”

“Got it. Let me introduce my friends to you: this is Mark,” he points to the boy who looks drunker, “this is Lisa and this is Chaeyoung, you probably know her by Rosè.” The girls smiled at him and waved their hands.

Of course, he knew Rosè, everyone had watched her debut as a model, she’s probably the most popular girl of her age in the city. He also recognized the other girl’s name, the rumor says that she’s a trainee at an important idols company. Hendery is amazed at how Jungwoo had the ability to surround himself with well-known people and starts to wonder if the shorter boy is also somehow famous.

“Nice to meet you,” Hendery says, “please make yourself comfortable. What do you want to drink?”

As the group strolls to a table, Jungwoo approaches the waiter whose shoulders surrounds with his arm. “Why are you so polite? We know each other for years now; my friends are your friends, come take a coffee with us.”

“Now? But I’m working…”

“There is just one customer here, if he needs something he will call you. Come on, Hen, you will love them.”

“Okay, but first let me take their orders.”

“Fine but I’ll help you with the drinks.”

“A whole gentleman.”

“Just for you, Hen.”

As they ask the group what they wanted to order, Hendery feels something weird in the back of his head, a weight as if someone is watching him and at first he thinks there is someone behind the glass, in the street, but when he turns around, there is no one there. However, his eyes met Lucas’, who looked away. Hendery makes a mental note to check if he needs something.

Behind the bar, Jungwoo makes the milkshake for Mark as Hendery prepares the different kinds of coffee for the rest of them. A gasp alerts the bartender, who spins to see Jungwoo turning off the electric mixer.

“Ah, I didn’t close it well,” he complained. “This was my favorite hoodie.” He pouts and points at his chest where a white stain contrasts with the black of his clothes. Hendery laughs and wipes it with a cloth.

“Don’t be dramatic, just put it on the washer when you get home.”

“Okay,” Jungwoo says in his usual small voice since they’re standing close, and his eyes look at a point behind Hendery, then back at him. “Do you know Wong Yukhei?” Hendery tilts his head and tries to put a face to that name but nothing comes to his mind, so he shakes his head.

“He’s that guy over there,” Jungwoo says, “don’t look.” His hand stops Hendery from turning around and moves a lock of short, black hair out of the boy’s face. “He hasn’t stopped looking at you. I think you have a fan.”

Hendery frowns. “That boy? He told me his name is Lucas.”

“Oh, yeah. He has like three names. The other one is Xuxi, I think.”

“How do you know him?”

“I know everyone, babe.” Jungwoo winks and continues making the milkshake.

Hendery doesn’t know what to do with the new information, so he just returns to do the coffee. His hands move like they’re someone else’s, his mind is occupied repeating the same phrase. _He hasn’t stopped looking at you…_ A smile starts forming in his lips but the memory of the people around Lucas glancing at him while trying to suppress a laugh freezes him. What if it’s all a joke? What does Lucas have on his tablet?

“Jungwoo.”

“Yes?”

“What do you know about Lucas?”

The boy smirks and approaches Hendery to nudge him playfully. “I see someone is interested.”

“Just answer the question, Woo.”

“Okay, okay. Well, I know that he likes boys: he was Bang Chan’s boyfriend last year.”

“Bang Chan?”

“You know him?”

“Who doesn’t? He’s so handsome.”

“You’re handsome too.” Jungwoo wiggles his eyebrows. “You could be his new boyfriend.”

“I don’t know… What else do you know?”

“He’s always picked as the best classmate: at college, high school, summer camps. He’s a certified good boy. Anyways, let’s hurry up and take these drinks to the guys before they do something stupid. I can’t leave Mark unsupervised.”

When they come back to their table, they find the two girls laughing and no signs of Mark.

“Where did that idiot go?” Jungwoo asks, looking around, before leaving the milkshake at the boy’s place. “I knew I couldn’t let him alone with you two for more than three seconds.”

“Calm down Romeo,” Lisa speaks, calm. She rests her back in the wall, body facing her friend. “He saw Rosè painting her lips and asked if he could use the lipstick.”

“I gave it to him and since he couldn’t apply it correctly, he went to the bathroom.” She continues.

“He almost fell.”

“But he’s okay.”

“Probably.”

“Probably?” Jungwoo scoffs and rushes to the place his supposed _friend_ is.

“Come on, Hendery, sit with us.” Rosè invites him, smiling.

The boy looks at the different seats and chooses the one that lets him see Lucas better, for he wants to make sure if the guy is actually staring at him or what. Chatting with the girls, he waits for the best moment to glance at Lucas, and when he does, he catches him looking. The boy just returns his gaze to his tablet, as if nothing had happened. It’s just the first strike, Hendery thinks, if he gets three strikes, he would accept that Lucas is staring at him. And then? He didn’t know what he would do.

Noice alerts the group, they see Jungwoo and Mark coming back to the table. Hendery smiles at the sight of Mark’s lips perfectly painted in red, but with some faded stains around his mouth. His smile becomes a smirk when he notices the same stains around Jungwoo’s lips and neck.

“The baby is back,” Jungwoo says, guiding his _friend_ with a hand on Mark’s back, “save and safe.”

“Yeah, we can see you took good care of him,” Lisa scoffs and everyone laughs, even Mark, who covers his eyes with his arm.

“Careful, you’re going to stain your sleeve.” Jungwoo grabs Mark’s arm gently and moves it away from his face.

Hendery averts his eyes from the scene before him, it’s cute, but it feels intimate. Then he remembers his “mission” and hurries to glance at Lucas, but the boy is focused on the tablet. However, before he could look away, Lucas locks their gazes. He looks right at him, not at the other boys, not at the girls, at him. Second strike.

His mission is forgotten when the group starts a conversation and asks Hendery some questions like how long has he been working there, what is he studying or what clubs are his favorites. In exchange, he learns that Rosè and Lisa are childhood friends, that Mark wants to be a writer and is working on his first novel, and that he and Jungwoo have something going on but they aren’t an official couple. With the promise of accompanying them the next time, they go out to a club, Hendery waves at them as they leave the café.

It’s 3:38 and Hendery is alone again but a smile remains intact on his lips.

Not in the mood to study again, Hendery takes out the trash that had accumulated over the hours. Outside, the fresh air hits him like a pleasant caress and the boy looks at the sky, proud to have stayed. It had been an eventful night, but nothing he couldn’t handle.

Back in the café, Hendery’s phone vibrates; on the screen, the picture of his only roommate appears above the ‘ _has sent you a message_. _’_

 **Short Devil  
** _How’s things going?  
Did you already set the café on fire? _

Hendery scoffs and wonders what is Ten doing awake so late, being always the first to fall asleep between the two. His thoughts are interrupted by the arrival of a new customer, a girl carrying a bag, dressed in what could be pajamas, so Hendery walks at the back of the bar. She follows him and smiles.

“Hello,” she says and the bartender greets her. “Do you have chips? The convenience store ran out of them and I seriously need them.” She lifts her hand, showing him the bag that contained other kinds of snacks. “I need the energy to finish an important project.”

“Yeah, I have some chips.” Hendery smiles and waves his hand at the shelf for snacks, where there were many flavors of chips she could choose from.

“I’ll take the common kind, please.”

When she’s about to leave, having already paid, Lucas calls her. “Yena!” He says, “what are you doing here?”

Hendery remembers he has a text to reply to, so he takes out his phone from his pocket, turning his back to the customers to give them some privacy.

 **Hen  
** _Not today, Satan.  
Everything’s good here, I can do this  
Why are you up so late btw?_

 **Short Devil  
** _Satan?? I stay up so late to cheer on you  
and this is how you treat me?  
I am: offended._

 _“_ Oh, Lucas, you didn’t.”

Hendery has to glance, intrigued by the girl’s rising voice, only to find the same scene as before: She laughs and nudges Lucas, then she glances at Hendery jus to quickly look away. The boy shushes her, not bothering to look up this time.

“I can’t believe you, Xuxi,” she keeps saying, but the waiter gives them his back again.

 **Hen  
** _Sorry, sorry  
Anyways, can I ask you smth?_

 **Short Devil  
** _Sure_

 **Hen  
** _There is a boy that has been working on a ‘project’ since he arrived  
but every time someone looks at his screen (he draws on a tablet)  
they look right at me and laugh..  
What could he be doing? _

**Short Devil  
** _umm maybe he’s doing a caricature of you?  
maybe that’s what he has to do for the project  
don’t think about it too much, just ignore him. _

**Hen  
** _A caricature?  
why did he have to choose me.._

 **Short Devil  
** _mmm because you’re cute?  
Anyways, stop overthinking it  
If it makes you uncomfortable, tell me and I’ll break his tablet :D_

 **Hen  
** _okay, I’ll try  
haha that would be a bit too much  
but thanks _

**Short Devil  
** _Anything for my baby  
now change my contact name  
I’m sure you saved my number as something like Satan or whatever_

 **Hen  
** _this sign can’t stop me because I can’t read._

 **Short Devil  
** _Bitch_

Ten’s advice goes ignored as soon as Hendery blocks his phone; his mind fills with images of caricatures that Lucas could be painting right now, each one worse than the next. He feels a tug in his stomach, a discomfort that comes from disappointment and shame. How could he have thought that Lucas could be his friend? They just met and just because Hendery’s his waiter. Does he like Lucas? Did he let himself have his hope up for someone he just met? Hendery shakes his head, he may have a crush on the boy, but he could easily forget about it.

But, what if he’s making things up? How does he know that Lucas is drawing him? Maybe it’s all a misunderstanding… No. He’s not going to get his hopes up again. He won’t hate Lucas or anything like that, but he also won’t expect something happening between them.

It’s 4:16 and Hendery is determined to bury that tiny crush, so he goes back to his table and continues studying.

His determination lasts about twenty minutes along with his capacity to focus. Hendery closes the textbook with a sigh, he’s not tired yet he doesn't know what to do to entertain himself. His first idea is to talk to Ten again, but he realizes that his roommate might be sleeping by now. His attention deviates to Lucas, who stands up and goes to the bathroom.

One second, two seconds, Hendery’s eyes move from the bathroom to the tablet and vice versa. What if he… takes a look at the dispositive? It’s not illegal, is it? But the waiter shakes his head and lets it rest on the table, a sigh escaping through his slightly open lips.

A door closes and steps approach him, and Hendery closes his eyes. If Lucas wants to talk, it’s not a good moment for the waiter whose head aches.

“Everything’s good, Hendery?” Lucas’s deep voice asks.

The worker just hums, not even bothering to open his eyes. He can tell the boy is still beside him.

“Sure?”

“Yeah.”

Pretending to be unbothered makes Hendery feel guilty, but the concern of being mocked by the boy stops him from saying something else. When the steps walk away, the waiter allows himself to straighten and open his eyes, ready to continue studying. However, the sensation of being watched again gets into his nerves so he looks up only to catch Lucas’ glancing at him again. Hendery tries to ignore it, maybe his headache is making things worse, but then he catches Lucas again. And again. Third fucking strike.

“What? Do I have something on my face?” Hendery regrets it as soon as he says it, but he has had enough.

Lucas widens his eyes. “No, nothing,” he stutters.

“Then why do you keep looking at me? Why did your friends laugh at me after seeing what you have been drawing or painting? What have you been doing on your tablet?”

Hendery feels a weight lifting from his shoulders, he finally said what had been bothering him. But at the same time, seeing Lucas opening his mouth without forming a single word, noticing that he doesn’t have a good reason for what he had been doing so he just keeps quiet disappoints Hendery.

“Forget it,” he murmurs and rests his head over his crossed arms on the table and closes his eyes again.

The silence is overwhelming, but then the chair in front of the waiter makes noise when Lucas pushes it back to sit there. Hendery looks up; Lucas has his lips pressed into a line, eyes refusing to find Hendery’s and the tablet on his hand.

“Please, don’t think I’m a weirdo…” he says and shows the screen to the waiter, revealing a painting of Hendery leaning on the bar, a hand supporting his chin while his eyes look at an indefinite point in the distance, creating an illusion of wandering on them. The small smile on his face, the light in his eyes, everything is so well done that makes it seem so real, but with a warm aura around him like he is home.

“I don’t understand,” Hendery mutters, scanning the paint over and over again, searching for the minimum trace of a joke only to find dedication and talent.

“This is the assignment I told you about. They asked me to paint something that… that captivates me and I saw you the other day I came, so I thought I could... paint you for the project.”

“But then, why did your friends laugh at me?”

“Oh, no,” he rushes to say, eyes widened, “they weren’t laughing at you, but me. They teased me, called me whipped. Sorry that they made you feel uncomfortable, it wasn’t their intention.”

Hendery stays quiet, processing what just had happened. He had misunderstood everything, the laughs, the looks, the intentions… The boy curses his imagination in his insides, why did he have to be so dramatic?

“I’m the one who should apologize... for assuming the worst.”

“I think we’re even.”

Hendery smiles and a wave of relief runs through his body; it had all been a misunderstanding! Lucas didn’t make fun of him but actually thought Hendery is… captivating. The boy’s face is on fire, Lucas admitting that he had found Hendery worthy of being painted causing too many feelings for him to handle.

“Yeah,” he says and tries to cover his blush with a hand.

The doorbell alerts the two boys who turn to see Xiaojun coming inside. Hendery waves at him and gets up.

“Hello,” Xiaojun says, “how was your first night shift?”

“Hi! Good, I think. Many things happened, but everything’s alright.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I was actually pretty worried, my first night shift was so stressful.”

While listening to his coworker, Hendery takes off his apron. “This Lucas, by the way.” He points at the boy with a finger. “He accompanied me all night, he was doing an assignment.”

“Hi,” Lucas greets, waving a hand.

Xiaojun reciprocates and Hendery can’t see if he does something else because he’s hurrying to leave the apron on its hanger at the back of the shop. When he comes back to his seat, Lucas and Xiaojun are talking at a polite distance.

“Yeah, Nana talks about you all the time,” his coworker says, smiling. “He likes to brag about the fun he has with his classmates.” He rolls his eyes, but Hendery knows he’s just pretending to be annoyed; every time Jaemin talks Xiaojun is the one who pays more attention and encourages him to keep talking. “Anyways, nice to finally meet you, Lucas. Now, if you guys, excuse me, I have to prepare the kitchen for Taeyong.”

Alone again, the pair keeps quiet for an awkward moment until Lucas says, “well, since you already know what I’m painting, would you let me look at you for reference? I just have to give it the last details.”

“Of course.” Hendery nods and imitates the pose he was doing in the paint.

It’s 5:24 a.m., the silence in the café fills with soft music and the conversation between two boys who begin their relationship again, without misunderstandings and with more confidence this time.

“And.... send,” Lucas exclaims as he presses the send button, a radiant smile on his face despite his eye bags and hours and hours of sitting, working on a digital screen.

“It’s amazing,” Hendery declares, admiring the final version of the painting, and shouts a smile at Lucas, but when he notices the tiredness in his face, he says, “you should get some rest, you did a great job.”

“That’s what I should say, you’ve been working since before I came.”

“I think we both should rest.”

“Yeah…”

“Jaemin works this afternoon, by the way.”

“Yeah? Well, I pass, I seriously need to sleep. I’ll come another day.”

As they go outside, Hendery tries to come up with a good reason to ask for Lucas's number, but his mind is blank. “Well, hope I see you around, then,” is the only thing he can say while grabbing his bike from the wall it was supporting on.

Lucas stands beside the motorbike that Hendery had supposed was his, and shouts him a nervous look. “I could text you the next time I come…”

“You would need my number to do that…” Hendery smiles and moves with his bike closer to the other boy.

“Would you give me your number?”

“Yeah, of course.”

It’s 5:55 a.m. and the two boys separate their paths with the promise to meet again, grab a coffee and maybe, just maybe they hope to be more than friends next time.


End file.
